Pubdate: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 Source: Echo Press (MN) Copyright: 2000 Fargo Forum Address: P.O. Box 5, Alexandria, MN 56308 Phone: (320) 763-3133 Contact: http://www.echopress.com/ Author: Virginia Bloom of Alexandria is a regular contributing columnist to the Echo Press Opinion page. A PRESCRIPTION FOR MARIJUANA It may be past time for us to rethink our attitude towards marijuana. It has served as a useful bugbear for years and the warning always was, "If you begin with marijuana you will wind up becoming an addict of some much more powerful drug." Which could happen. But before we begin discussing the ill effects of smoking it, maybe we ought to consider the beneficial effects of the use of marijuana in certain narrowly defined instances in the treatment of cancer, say. There have been reports from the medical community of the easing of nausea induced by chemotherapy as well as alleviating pain in other aspects of cancer. Billie Young, president of the Drug Policy Reform Group and wife of St. Paul superintendent of schools, called in to Open Line last Friday to tell us about her group which is working to try to get the legislature to change the law so that with a physician's prescription marijuana could be used for medicinal purposes. She put forth a powerful plea to have all of us write our representatives and urge them to legalize the drug for cancer treatment. She pointed out too that there is real reluctance on the part of the legislators to consider marijuana in a different light. The fear is that they might be perceived to be approving of its use to "get high," which is a very real concern. Mrs. Young also made the point that marijuana is regarded now by many people in the same way that communists were years ago85that there was one hiding under every bed. An aside here. The whole nation was held in thrall by the antics of Senator Joe McCarthy and his vicious nonsense about the hordes of communists lurking everywhere trying to bring the nation down. It took Senator Margaret Chase Smith, Republican, to call for censuring McCarthy early on. (The guys on both sides of the aisle were scared.) Years ago I read an article by William F. Buckley who was incensed that his housekeeper's sister could not get the proper drugs when she was suffering great pain. I thought then that it would take someone like Mr. Buckley to get things changed, conservative as he is, and to point out that our desperate fear of pain relievers is not always justified. As things stand now a physician could have his license revoked if he were to prescribe marijuana. For those of us who have experienced unremitting grinding pain day after day and on into months, the advent of an effective safe pain reliever could make the difference in our wanting to continue your life at all. I know; I've been there. Eight states have already gotten on board, making it possible for physicians to use their own judgment treating the illness. This is a purely personal feeling but it seems to me that anything which will address pain successfully and under the care of a knowledgeable physician holds out a lot of hope. But it will take time. We have emphasized the ill effects of marijuana for so long that it is going to take a lot of education to try to look at it dispassionately. Mrs. Young compared marijuana as a threat with that of communism and the point was neatly made. What she did not mention is that during the height of McCarthy's "investigations" it was popular that former communists come in to speak to various civic groups about their sinning and redemption85how they now had reclaimed their lives. For those of us who by chance or design avoided all communists one thing was abundantly clear. They were all dreadful bores. But, of course, being a bore is not a hanging offense, more's the pity. I intend to write my representative and I hope you will too. Not that you care but85Camilla Parker Bowles, "friend" of Prince Charles, dropped a curtsy to Queen Elizabeth the other day and the queen, who had heretofore ignored her existence chatted her up for a bit. This is the same lady who Princess Di said had ruined her marriage85she did so on the "telly". Shortly after that when Mrs. Parker Bowles was buying groceries in the supermarket the shoppers all threw buns at her. Susan Stamberg said admiringly, "Those Brits really know how to express themselves, don't they?" Made my whole morning. And revealed to me that the Brits who have always been perceived as unflappable85insouciant to a fault85are just impossible human beings at times after all. Carlyn Coats said it. Think about it. "Children have more need of models than of critics." . - --- MAP posted-by: Allan Wilkinson